Ribbon mechanism for type-writing machines.



1 J A. ZIEGLER. RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED PEBJS, 1911. 1,1 1 5,648. Patented Nov. 3, 191 1 2 SHEET8SHEET 1.

INVEN TOR,

J. A. ZIEGLER.

RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1911.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

2 BHEETSSHEET Z.

WITNESSES v of the main supporting frame of the ribbon mechanism. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a i View of one of the ribbon 6 is a sectional view showing the relative:

U ITE s'r-A'rfas orrron.

JORAM A. ZIEGLER, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO ELLIOTT-FISHER COMFANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

RIBBON MECHANISM FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Not. 3, 1914.

Application filed February 6, 1911. Serial No. 606,913. 1

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Joan: A. Zmennn, a citizen of the United States of America, re siding at Chattanooga, Tennessee, inthe county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Ribbon. Mechanism for Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting machines, and more particularly to ribbon mechanism adapted for use in connection with a work element in the form of a manifold strip or web.

The invention is of the same general character as that of my pending application No. 549,920 and its, generatobject is like Wise to arrange the ribbons for accommodation-in opposite folds of a long manifold sheet or strip without interfering with-the feed of the strip in a longitudinal direction.

A distinguishing object. of the esent arrangement is to provide a more compact mounting of the ribbon mechanism by so modifying the structure that the ribbon spools may be located between the main bearings of the platen spindle and'closely adjacent to the ends of the platen.

Another object is'to simplifythe construction' and arrangement of the ribbon guides and to dispose the same in more accessible position-to facilitate their manipulation by the operators:

Another object is to arrange certain of the ribbon guides for removal from their normal positions in order to facilitate the arrangementrof the ribbon mechanism for use in connection with separated strips or webs of paper when the use of a manifold strip is not desired.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying dra\vings-'-ligure l is a front elevation of a portion of a typewriterequipped in accordance with my invention. Fig. "2 is a detail perspective new portion of the structure shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a verturai sectnm onl'ne line i of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a data consequent line space feed 0 arrangement of the manifold paper strip l and ribbons.

Each part, wherever shown, indicated by its appropriate referencech'aracter.

1 indicates the usual platen'carried by'the spindle Z equipped with knurledjwheols 3 and mounted in bearings 4 in the end frames 5 of the platen carriage 6 Adjacent to the right hand bearing 4 the'spindle'ispxo vided with a line space ratchet 7 coasting with other elements (not shown) of the usual line space mechanism to efiect the step-by-step rotation of the lat/en the fthework' element. Loosely mounted on-the'plate indie 2 are four ribbon spools 8 9, .10 an 11 arranged in pairs immediately adjacent to opposite ends oi the laten.

Attached to the ri hon spools" aregears 8 9}, 1'0 and 11 adapted tobe engaged by gears 8', 9", 10 and 11" mounted on sleeves 12-and 13 fixed to ashaft 14 mounted in bearings 15 extended rearwardly frorn' the main'ribbon supporting frame 16' having Secured to the outer ends is geared to the carriage spindle through the medium of pinion 19, a gear 20 provided with pawls 21 and a ratchet. 22 secured to the spindle 2 andcoacting with the pawls 21 to establish a driving connection between the spindle Q and the shaft 14 when said spindle is rotated in one direction. Also mounted on the spindle 2 between each pair-3f spools is a gear 23 connected by pawl and ratchet mechanism not shown,

with the spindle 2 and constantly meshing with one of two gears 24 fixed to the sleeves 2 and 13. i The pawl and ratchet mechanism of the gears :23 is disposed oppositely to the pawi and ratchet mechanism connerting the spindle 2 with the gears 20. "iheret'orc, when the spindle is rotated in one (.iircrtion, the shaft 14 will be driven through the medium of the gears 18 and when the spindle is rotated in the opposite direction, the shaft 14 will be rotated the medium of the gears 23 and 24. i be observed. however, that the direction of rotation of the shaft 14 is uniform.

The gears 8" and 9 -and similarly the gears 10 and 11 are separated by a somewhat greater interval than the adjacent spool cars so that both spool gears can never iie in mesh at the same time with the gears on the shaft 14. On the contrary, the spacing of the gears is such that by the endwise shifting of the shaft 1.4 either spool of a given air of spools can be brought in mesh with the shaft and the directlon of the ribbon feed thereby reversed, since it will be understood that in this type ofribbon motion a ribbon has its opposite ends wound upon the two spools located at one end of the platen and may be fed in one direction or the other, accordingly as one or the other of the spools is positively driven.

The ribbon reversing mechanism includes, in addition to certain of the described elements, a reversing lever 25 mounted on one of two rectangular frames 26 which surmount the frame 16. \Vithin the frames 26 are disposed yokes 27 which engage the opposite ends of the sleeves l2 and 13. One of these yokes is provided with a pin 27' which extends through a cam shaped slot in the reversing lever 25 so that when said lever is shifted the adjacent yoke will be moved to shift the shaft 1-l sufficiently to reverse the feed of the ribbons.

The described mechanism for effecting the ribbon feed and reverse is substantially like that disclosed in my pending application and has therefore not been illustrated in detail and need not be further described.

As already intimated, each of the two ribbons a and 7) is led from one spool toward the opposite end of the platen and thence back again to another spool adjacent to the one from which the ribbon starts. That is to say, both ends of the ribbon are wound upon spools at the same end of the platen and an intermediate portion or loop of the ribbon is carried to a. guide located at or adjacent to the opposite end of the platen. Each ribbon is thus doubled uponiits'elf and overlaps a looped or doubled portion of the other ribbon, see Fig. 6. This arrangement enables each ribbon to extend into the open side of a folded paper strip and to extend to the closed side of the fold where it must necessarily terminate or else return through the same or open side of the strip. It follows that the ribbon guides a. and b which are located within the folds of the paper ,strip must be supported outside of the fold and it is desirable that these guides be mounted at the front of the machine where they are readily accessible. F or this rea son I have devised ribbon guides both for the. looped or folded portions of the rib hens and for those portions of the ribbons lying immediately adjacent to the spools and have arranged for the mounting of these several guides on the main supporting frame 16 of the ribbon mechanism.

CflEIlGd by the frame 16. directly above the ilont portion of the platen is a paper guide 28 comprising front and rear members 29 and 30, the front member being in the form of a plate the upper edge of which constitutes a paper cutten, Pivotally connected to the outer ends of the guide member or plate "29 are two ribbon guide bars 3L and 32 which extend in opposite directions and are formed with terminal guide loops 1 3 and 31; portions of which define the ribbon guides a and b, since it will be seen that each of the ribbons a and I: is passed through one of the ribbon guide loops and thence led back to its spool in the manner described.

For the pur )ose of limiting the movement of the guide bars 31 and 32 in one direction, said bars are provided with stop arms 35 located adjacent to their pivots and engaging fixed stops 36, see Fig. 3. Thus the weight of the bars and the strain imposed thereon lby the ribbons retain the bars in proper normal position, but when desired, the bars-31 and 32 may be swung back away from the platen in tlfe'event that it is desired to arrange the ribbon mechanism for use in connection with separated or unfolded work elements. This may obviously be. done by unwinding one end of each ribbon and rewinding the same on a spool at the opposite end of the platen so that each ribbon will extend from a spool at one end of the platen to a spool at the opposite end of the platen instead of being wound upon two spools both located at the same end of the platen.

To properly guide the ribbons into the proper plane as they leave or approach the spools a ribbon guide 37 depends in front of each spoolrfrom the main frame 16. The guides 37 are in the form of plates 38 having their upper ends secured to the frame 16 and carrying horizontal guide rollers 39 over whielt the ribbon is led from the angular guide 40 secured to a fixed portion of the plate 38. The guides 37 are similar to those disclosed in my'pending application, except that in the present instance these guides as well as the guide bars 31 and 32 for the looped portions of the ribbons are all extended from the plate or frame 16 loeated above the platen.

it will be understood that when the riblions are arranged as shown and described they will be retained within opposite folds of a manifold sheet or strip 51?, see Fig. 6, and that the ribbon supporting and guiding means interfere in no way with the feed of the manifold strip which may therefore be of indeterminate length or what is known as a continuous web. It may also be mentioned that in classes of work where the strl feed of the ribbon is not material, the ribbon, instead of being looped or doubled, may merely be extended into the folds of the paper and its extremity fined to one of the guides a or Z).

It is thought that the foregoing deseription taken in'connection with the accord panying drawings will be sullieient to con stitute a complete disclosure of the invention and l reseri'e the right to effect such modifications of the illustrated structure as may come fairly within the scope of .the protection prayed.

lVhat I claim 1. The combination with a platen can riage, platen and platen spindle, of two pairs of ribbon spools each pair interposed between one end of the platen carriage and the adjacent end of the platen, inking ribbons each carried by'the spools of one of said pairs of spools and extended opposite the platen, and guiding means for said rib bons.

2. The combination with a platen, of ribbon supporting means, a longitudinally folded Web or strip led over the platen, ribbons extended from said sup iorting means into the fold of said strip, an a ribbon carrier extended into said fold of the manifold strip to engage and support the ribbon, said carrier being supported exclusively outside of said fold and intermediate of the ends of the strip and movable into and out of operative position.

3. The combination with a platen, of ribbon supporting means mounted beyond the opposite ends thereof, a manifold web or led opposite the platen, ribbons exten ed from said supporting means into opposite folds of said strip, and ribbon carriers extended into said opposite folds of the manifold strip to engage and support the ribbons, said -carriers being supported:

exclusively outside of said folds and intermediate of the ends of/the strip and mayable into and out of operative position.

1. The combination with a platen, of ribbon spools mounted beyond the opposite ends thereof, a manifold Web or strip led opposite the platen, ribbons extended from said spools into opposite folds of said strip, and ribbon carriers extended into said opposite fold of the manifold strip toengage and support the ribbons, said carriers bein in the form of arms pivotally support'e outside of ti folds of the strip.

5. The eoinination with a platen, a pair of ribbon spools located adjacent to each end thereof, a horizontal supportin plate, ribbon guides depending from $211 plate and dispo-ed opposite the spools, at apex guide carried by the plate, and other ribbon guides carried by the paper guide.

6. The combination with ribbon spools and a platen, of a pair of ribbon guide rods disposed in crossing relation and each hav ing a ribbon guide at one end and pivotally mounted at its opposite end, a support for said guide arms and separate ribbons guided by said rods.

7. The combination with a platen, of ribbon spools adjacent to the ends thereof and a unitary struetu-reincluding a horizontal supporting plate, ribbon guides depending from the plate opposite the spools, a paper guide carried by the plate, and additional ribbon guides extending from the pa or guide to engage the ribbon at points et veen the ribbon guides first named.

ln testimony whereof I alllx Irly signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOB-AM A. ZIEGLER.

Witnesses CLYDE V. Sco'rr, A. C. FLooRNoY. 

